Haji Lane has seen some movements in its F&B establishments over the late; with cafes such as that of Sooner or Later that has recently moved into the ‘hood, the latest opening at Haji Lane would be Toast Days. Taking over the former premises of the Fish & Chip specialty store run by the The Black Hole Group named The Mad Sailors, the folks at Toast Days seem to have completely revamped the space following their move into the space. Gone are the rustic English-style decor with its royal green walls and red cushioned bench seats by the windows on the side of the shophouse. Instead, Toast Days have completely transformed the space into what one would find familiar in a local coffeeshop — the name Toast Days does seem to be a word play on the term “Those Days”; not sure if this was the exact intention of those behind the concept. Expect marble-esque tables and wooden stools for the furnishings used for the dine-in area; the ceiling of the shophouse being decked in wood that seemed to give the space the vibe of the old — a mural being hand painted on the wall depicts what seems to be a scene of a man behind the counter of an old-school coffeeshop brewing coffee / tea. As the name suggests, Toast Days is primarily an establishment that serves up local toasts that works great as a breakfast item or a tea-time snack; think a menu that features Toasts such as that of Butter Sugar Toast and Kaya Butter Toast, just to name a few, whilst also serving up sandwiches such as the Fish Otar Sandwich and the Chicken Satay Sandwich. Apart from toasts and sandwiches, Toast Days also serves up old-school pandan waffles, as well as various cakes that are in displayed in the display fridge, or packaged in transparent plastic boxes. Beverages available at Toast Days include Nanyang-style coffee or tea, as well as options such as Milo, Iced Homemade Lemon Tea, Canned Drinks, Coconut Water and Honey Lemon.

Between the two food items which we have ordered, we preferred the Kaya Butter Waffle; pretty much the usual neighbourhood Pandan waffle that comes spread with kaya and a slab of cold butter — their interpretation of a Kaya Butter Toast served in a Pandan waffle form. Freshly made upon order, we were told that the waffle would usually take a preparation time of 8mins — the waffle came to the table piping hot; the slab of butter pretty much almost fully melted by the time we had finished taking photos of the dish and starting to dig into it considering how hot the waffle was. Everyone seem to have their own preferences for how their neighbourhood-ly Pandan waffles are being done; some like them to be crispy, but this would be the one which would appeal to those who like some chew in their Pandan waffles. If anything, the Pandan waffle here is plush and sufficiently dense; the batter being just sufficiently chewy that it doesn’t take too much effort to chew apart, though this isn’t the sort of waffle that comes with a crisp texture. The batter also wafts of a distinct Pandan fragrance; this further enhances the flavours of the Kaya that is being spread in between for the Kaya Butter Waffle which we have ordered. We liked how they seemed to be really generous with the amount of kaya lathered onto the waffles; slicing the waffle apart with fork and knife sees the kaya oozing out by the sides — all mixed with the melted butter that makes everything seemingly rich. No doubt it does get a little saccharine at times whilst also artery-clogging from all that Kaya and Butter that is going on, but it’s that type of sinful that just felt so good and a little difficult to stop digging into it. We were also pretty impressive with how the waffles were able to retain its original texture as per how it was when it first came to the table; that is despite all Kaya and melted butter that would have made some waffles all limp, soft and soggy usually — definitely something that has been nailed right here.

In times where many of the more nostalgic spots are slowly closing their doors one by one, Toast Days does seem like an interesting addition to the cultural neighbourhood of Kampong Glam — one that is dedicated to serving up old-school breakfasts and Pandan waffles that somehow gels well with the touristy settings of Haji Lane. While we had yet to give their toasts a go, we definitely preferred the Pandan waffles over the Fish Otar Sandwich we had went for — the type of bread being a little soft and limp, making it difficult to chew even though it had clearly been toasted; the plating also seemingly haphazard and felt like a salad that featured pieces of bread and strips of Fish Otar in it considering how sliced cucumbers and lettuce are being strewn around one side of the plate without much integration to the rest of the elements. The Nanyang Kopi here is probably one of the more well-pulled ones that we have ever had from such hipster establishments; one that carried quite a strong and punchy aroma whilst being sufficiently sweetened from the condensed milk. The shophouse does get a little warm on sunny afternoons however; something for those who must have air-con to take note. That being said, Toast Days certainly makes for a good addition for something local within the Kampong Glam neighbourhood — somewhere which we would certainly not mind parking ourselves at should we be looking for a a strong cuppa over Kaya Butter Toast on an afternoon being a tourist in their own country!